Medics wait to gain access to the Cascade Mall, where four people were shot dead, in Burlington, Washington, US, September 24, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

At least three people have lost their lives in a shooting at a mall in the northwestern US state of Washington, with the suspect on the run, police say.

Sergeant Mark Francis, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol District 7, said on his Twitter account that the incident took place at the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 104 kilometers north of Seattle, at about 19:30 local time on Friday.

Francis described the shooter, who has fled the scene, as a “Hispanic male wearing grey.”

“EMS starting to enter to attend to injured inside Mall w/ police escort and after initial clearance,” he further said, referring to emergency medical services.

The shooting comes less than a week after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead. The FBI is investigating that attack as a potential act of terrorism.